Jonglei’s Pochala county asks government to improve road and telephone networks
November 29, 2010 (BOR) – Residents of Pochala county in Jonglei state in South Sudan are pressing the local government to build roads and provide mobile telephone networks to address the inaccessibility of the area.
Protestors have written a letter to Jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang Juuk, headed ‘grievances of Pochala Youth’ to express their concerns.
The letter was supported by King of the Anyuak ethnic group, Adongo Akway, in a speech he delivered on Monday to the county headquarters to visiting ministers of the Jonglei state government. As well as lack of roads and telephone network the protestors always said that there were too few secondary schools and unemployment was too high in the area.
In a strong worded letter, the youths said “our county is left out considerably…at state level”. However they expressed hope that: “In the long run, we would like to feel that we had the satisfactory of the grievances being fulfilled.”
Out of 11 counties in Jonglei state, only Bor is accessible by road from South Sudan capital of Juba during rainy seasons. Twice East, Duk, Ayod, Nyiror, Uror and Akobo can also be reached in dry season. Pibor and Pigi can be partially reached by land during dry season. But Pochala and Fangak counties have very poor roads that are normally impassable throughout the year.
With southern Sudan’s self determination referendum approaching in January state officials have said that the issues raised will be attended to after the vote, which is likely to see the south secede from the north.
The Jonglei state delegation to the meeting was headed by Kengen Jakor, the state’s minister for cabinet affairs and Gabriel Gai Riam, the minister for parliamentary affairs.
Speaking at the event the ministers urged citizens to register for the referendum peacefully and allow separatists and unionists to campaign without intimidation.
The state authorities told the people of Pochala people that an aerial to provide signal for a mobile telephone network was already on its way to Bor. As for improving roads, the state claims that government of southern Sudan is working closely with Bor to see that the projected is starts immediately, although they did not give a specified date.
(ST)